MACC Catalog # PHI 150H
CIP# 38.01010
Revised/Effective: August 2010
(Updates: AD 05/13/13-AP April 2015)
MOBERLY AREA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Common Syllabus
PHI 150H: Introduction to Philosophy (Honors)
Current Term
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Catalog description: PHI 150H: Introduction to Philosophy (Honors)
(3-0-3)
This course will familiarize the student with the major categories of classic, Western philosophical
tradition, ranging from antiquity to the modern era. Students will explore the positions of major
philosophical thinkers as they comment on the categories under discussion. Interpretation and
communication of the philosophical works of each writer are analyzed. Honors sections of
Introduction to Philosophy stress critical thinking and requires completion of an additional
significant project beyond non-honors sections of the course. (FA, SP)
Prerequisite: Student must meet the criteria for admission into the Honors Program.
Text:
Title:
Author:
Edition:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Philosophy
Christian
11th Edition 2012
Cengage
978-1-1112-9808-1
Other Required Materials: Material to complete required assignments.
Purpose of course: This course will familiarize the student with the major questions of Western
philosophical tradition, ranging from antiquity to the modern era. The positions of twenty-seven major
philosophical thinkers will be examined. The student will be asked to develop and analyze their own
answers to the major philosophical questions of knowledge and value.
Course objectives: Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to: demonstrate
basic knowledge of the major issues and answers of Philosophy; demonstrate basic college-level skills
in critical thinking and critical reading; demonstrate basic college-level skills in written and oral
communication; identify and communicate their personal answers concerning the great questions of
philosophy.
Course Content:
I.
Overview of Philosophy and its disciplines.
II.
Epistemology: How can I know what is real and true?
III.
Metaphysics: What is ultimately real?
IV.
Ethics: What is the right way of life?
MACC Catalog # PHI 150H
CIP# 38.01010
Revised/Effective: August 2010
(Updates: AD 05/13/13-AP April 2015)
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
Philosophy of Science: How does science affect world views?
Personal Questions of Life, Death, Meaning & Purpose.
The ideas of twenty-seven major thinkers.
A Philosophy of Love
Assessment of Student Learning:
Exams
40%
Final Exam
10%
Participation
12%
Research Paper
20%
Who I Am Project
6%
A Philosophy of Love
12%
TOTAL
200 points
50 points
60 points
100 points
30 points
60 points
500 points
A=450-500
D=300-349
B=400-449
C=350-399
F=Below 300
Exams will consist of objective and essay questions. The Final will be cumulative, closed-book & no
aids. Participation will be based on quantity and quality of in-class participation. Attendance and
instances of incisive questioning(IQ), demonstration of critical thinking (CT), supportive participation
in Socratic dialogue(SD), sharing of personal views and life-stories(S) and class-preparedness(CP) will
be noted as Excellent(E), Very Good(G), or Poor(P) in the Instructor=s grade sheets.
Description of Major Assignments: Research Paper: Students will produce a paper which expresses
their philosophy of life concerning five major philosophical questions: Where did I come from? Who
am I? What is ultimately real and true and how do I know it? Do I have a purpose or meaning in life?
Where am I going? The paper will include research on a major philosopher=s responses to the five
major questions. The paper will be at least ten pages and in MLA
MACC Catalog # PHI 150H
CIP# 38.01010
Revised/Effective: August 2010
(Updates: AD 05/13/13-AP April 2015)
Who I Am Project: Student will present the following in the semester:
Collage B On poster board students will visually answer the question, A Who Am I?@ using pictures,
drawings, mementos, cut-outs from magazines or other items. Tombstone with Epitaph B On the back
of the poster board students will draw their tombstone, urn or other A resting place@ and put their
name and epitaph thereon.
Song B The student will select and present a one-minute rendition of a song which best represents their
A philosophy of life.
A Philosophy of Love Project. The student will create an Artifact B research paper, video, poem,
musical composition , etc.-which answers the following questions: what is Love?; what is the
metaphysics of Love?; how do I know Love is true?; what is the moral theory of Love; who is the
wisest Lover? what is the future of Love?
Statement to Connect Course with General Education Outcomes:
In
compliance
with
MACC’s General Education outcomes, the student who successfully completes this course will be able
to:


Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills.
Assess and appreciate artifacts in language, art, music, or philosophy and be able to evaluate
those artifacts as representations of form, cultural context, and individual expressions.
Instructor Policies:
Academic Dishonesty: MACC board policy is as follows: “Academic dishonesty by students
damages institutional credibility and unfairly jeopardizes honest students; therefore, it will not be
tolerated in any form.” Forms of academic dishonesty include but are not limited to the following:
violations of copyright law, plagiarism, fabrication, cheating, collusion, and other academic
misconduct. Incidents of dishonesty regarding assignments, examinations, classroom/laboratory
activities, and/or the submission of misleading or false information to the College will be treated
seriously. The procedure for handling academic dishonesty is outlined in the Student Handbook
(Policy Handbook M.010). In cases of alleged academic dishonesty, the burden of proof is on the
student, not on the instructor.
Attendance Policy: Any student who misses two consecutive weeks of class during a regular sixteenweek semester or the equivalent proportion of class time during a shorter session will be dropped from
the class by the instructor unless acceptable justification is supplied. An instructor must complete and
file the appropriate forms to drop the student within one week following the student’s violation of the
attendance policy. Additionally, any student who misses more than one-fourth of the entire number of
in-seat class meetings in a regular 16-week semester or the equivalent proportion of class time during a
shorter session, may be dropped from that class by the instructor if, in the opinion of the instructor, the
student does not have reasonable opportunity to succeed in the class. A student’s attendance rate will
be calculated based upon the first day of the semester (not the student’s date of enrollment in the
course.)
Student attendance must be defined in a different manner for online, hybrid, and virtual courses.
Student attendance in these courses is defined as active participation in the course. Online, hybrid, and
virtual courses will, at a minimum, have weekly mechanisms for student participation, such as any or
all of the following methods:
MACC Catalog # PHI 150H
CIP# 38.01010
Revised/Effective: August 2010
(Updates: AD 05/13/13-AP April 2015)
a. Completion of quizzes or exams
b. Submission of assignments
c. Participation in threaded discussions
d. Communication with the instructor
A student who does not participate in an online, hybrid, or virtual course for two consecutive weeks
will be dropped by the instructor unless acceptable justification is supplied. An instructor must
complete and file the appropriate forms to drop the student within one week following the student’s
violation of the attendance policy. As with ground courses, a student’s attendance rate in online
courses will also be calculated based upon the first day of the semester. If a student does not
demonstrate active participation in the online course within the first two weeks (or the equivalent
proportion of class time during a short session), the student will be dropped as “never attended.”
Simply logging into an online class does not constitute active participation.
Students should be aware that their dropping a course and their last date of attendance in the course
may impact their financial aid. (Policy Handbook I.090 and M.095)
Tardiness:
Per instructor’s policy
Make-up and late work:
Per instructor’s policy
Extra-credit work: Per instructor’s policy
MACC Catalog # PHI 150H
CIP# 38.01010
Revised/Effective: August 2010
(Updates: AD 05/13/13-AP April 2015)
Schedule of Student Assignments/Activities:
Instructors will identify a Student
Assignment/Activities schedule. Instructors have the prerogative to construct the schedule by
class periods, weeks, or an overview of topics to be covered.
ADA Statement
Students who have disabilities that qualify under the Americans with Disabilities Act may register
for assistance through the Office of Access and ADA Services. Students are invited to contact the
Access Office to confidentially discuss disability information, academic accommodations,
appropriate documentation and procedures. For more information, please call either the Moberly
office at (660) 263-4100 x 11240 or the Columbia office at (573) 234-1067 x 12120, or visit our
web page at http://www.macc.edu/index.php/services/access-office.
Title IX Statement
MACC maintains a strict policy prohibiting sexual misconduct in any form, including sexual
harassment, sexual discrimination, and sexual violence. All MACC employees, including faculty
members, are considered mandated reporters of sexual misconduct and as such are expected to
contact the Title IX Coordinator when they become aware, in conversation or in writing, of an
incident of sexual misconduct. For more information on this policy or to learn about support
resources, please see http://www.macc.edu/sexual-misconduct-policy or contact Dr. Jackie
Fischer, MACC’s Title IX Coordinator, at 660-263-4110, ext. 11236 or jackief@macc.edu.
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